Evaluation of the imapct of legalizing marijuana on society in the state of Colorado, USA

Background and Aims: The legalization of marijuana in Colorado and its effect on health issues such as pediatric intoxications, BHO burns, teen use and CHS is evaluated. Social issues such as criminality and traffic concerns are covered as well. As of January 2014, Colorado has opened commercial dispensaries after having legalized recreational use in 2012. This means that there has been a limited amount of time in which to fully appreciate the consequences of recreational legalization. ----- Methods: PubMed and Google Scholar were used to find pertinent material. Search terms included but not limited to: public health, Colorado, marijuana, cannabis, teen use, legalization, etc. The search was primarily focused on Colorado. Included, however, were government studies and reports from such agencies as the NHTSA, CDPHE and USBP. Such studies were given particular weight since they were designed for use by policymakers, have epidemiological importance and are broad based. Longitudinal studies with data pre-legalization and post legalization were especially selected for their value in gauging the impact with regard to the issues and concerns described above. Evidence-based research and quality of study design were the primary criteria for study selection. ----- Findings: Marijuana legalization does not seem to increase teen use, but a low perception of risk does predispose toward use. Pediatric intoxication calls, visits to the emergency room and hospitalizations are increasing dramatically albeit in limited numbers. Butane hash oil burns are increasing, but is a very minor contributor to the proportion of burn patients overall. Traffic has been affected in terms of increasing DUIs involving cannabis with more screens being conducted by law enforcement. However, these DUIs do not necessarily translate into traffic accidents. Criminality has not increased, aside from property crime such as robberies involving commercial dispensaries operating on a cash basis